For too many centuries, sometimes under the guise of culture and tradition, sometimes with the excuse of blaming foreign cultures, we have allowed the essence of the Vedas and the essence of womanhood to be muddied by society's bullies. How long will we tolerate it?

In a world where patriarchal norms and xenophobic platforms hold sway, one can celebrate the nine shining days of Navratri, when Durga holds her own with Rambo, Lakshmi blesses books on the Big Bang Theory and Saraswati encourages you to play one more tune, learn one more dance.